Playwright and freelance writer, Debbie Lamedman rants, vents and observes what life is like for her in the 21st century.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

It's a Quiet Thing...

Today was a long day. Taught a lot of little kids a little about acting. Then I taught some older kids a lot about acting. And because it was the last day of class for my older students, their parents came in to watch them strut their stuff. It wasn't a performance; it was a presentation. Extremely informal. But they played some theater games and did some monologues, and they had fun and the parents were pleased because their children were laughing. Sometimes it isn't easy teaching a lot to a little kid, or teaching a little to an older kid, but it's always worth it.

When I got home, I had a large piece of mail. It was the new 10-minute play anthology published by Smith and Kraus entitled The Best 10-Minute Plays 2011 edited by Lawrence Harbison. One of my plays is included in this anthology. Yes, I knew it was coming, but frankly I forgot. And I will never get over the thrill of holding a book in my hand, and seeing my name in print.

So here I am, holding the new anthology, skimming through it, feeling very pleased that more of my written work is out in the world, and the lyrics to the Kander & Ebb song came floating through my mind:

"When it all comes true

Just the way you planned

It's funny but the bells don't ring,

It's a Quiet Thing..."

I've been getting a lot of accolades lately. That will never get old. I've been getting positive feedback for my writing, my teaching, and now, on this day, I am holding in my hand something tangible that makes it all worthwhile. It's not earth-shattering...the world won't change because of it. But it's mine. It's my little success story. And yes, it's a quiet thing. But it's also an incredibly satisfying thing!